Raven - Wiped Out (1982)^{Release ID: 5849}

The debut album from Newcastle-based three-piece NWOBHM outfit Raven entitled “Rock Until You Drop” wasn’t really for me. Raven’s raw & frenetic brand of heavy metal showed a fair bit of promise but was let down by a distinct lack of polish. The song-writing wasn’t amazing either & to be honest I’ve always struggled to see why that album is so highly regarded by fans of the New Wave movement.

Well 1982 saw Raven release their follow-up album “Wiped Out” which saw the band taking their Judas Priest influenced sound further down the path they had started with the debut. “Rock Until You Drop” had hinted at genuine thrash & speed metal at times & generally sat amongst the faster metal releases on the market but “Wiped Out” takes that velocity to another level altogether. In fact, I think it may well be the fastest metal album the world had heard at the time. Every song is flat out & the hard rock & glam metal leanings of the debut are no longer a factor with a straight-up metal attack being the order of the day. There is definitely some genuine speed metal on offer here with opening track “Faster Than The Speed Of Light” being a fine example of that sound.

The production is unfortunately very poor & it really does sound like the band did this all in one take to my ears as there has been no attempt to iron out the kinks. This certainly gives Raven's music an energetic feel & that was probably the point of that approach but it once again lacks that bit of polish that would have made it a more accessible listen.

I have to admit that I still can’t get into bass-playing front man John Gallagher’s over-the-top vocal delivery. It sounds completely out of control for the most part with his high pitched screams often leaving me cringing. I’d suggest that he’s very much a love-em or hate-em proposition & unfortunately I fall on the wrong side of that equation. There is some pretty decent musicianship on display here at times though with an occasional progressive leaning to some of the song structures & arrangements but these elements aren’t really all that important on a record like this. It’s all about reckless speed, unbridled energy & wild abandon but I have to ask where the songs are amongst all this chaos.

Where “Rock Until You Drop” offered a few genuinely catchy tunes, “Wiped Out” simply blitzes the listener with speed & aggression without ever really hinting at a memorable hook. I wasn’t a fan of the debut but unfortunately “Wiped Out” does even less for me & I have to admit that Raven seems to be one of those bands that just aren’t for me. They sound like they’d be right up my alley on paper & I really want to like them but in practice Raven leave me feeling unimpressed & bored. I can certainly understand the appeal for those that do love their sound though & the influence on European thrash metal is unquestionable as I can comfortably hear where bands like Kreator & Destruction picked up elements of their sound here.